Freed From The Truth
by Absolute Fairy Tail Trash
Summary: Fraxus AU Freed Justine is a socially-awkward seventh grader forced to switch schools after his parents move a month into the school year. Freed enters his new school completely lost, but after eighth grader Laxus Dreyar saves him from bullying he doesn't understand, Freed will be forced to learn new things about himself he never planned for.
1. A New Place To Call Home

**So I got this story idea at 4 am yesterday after being on the tumblr Fraxus tag for four hours.**

 **I need help.**

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Freed

I was never good at making friends. Even my best friends, Ever and Bickslow, had been chosen for me before I could remember. So imagine my reaction when my mother decided to pack up and move our family two miles a month after I started the seventh grade.

You're probably thinking, two miles? That's not bad. I would be closer to Bickslow's house. But in our town, Magnolia, there are two middle schools. And those two miles moved me across the line that divided my old middle school, East Magnolia Middle, and my new middle school, West Magnolia Middle.

Now what sparked this random move that would send my social life reeling? My mother. And the fetus in her stomach.

Our old house was a tiny little thing. 2 bedrooms, 1 and a half baths, a little over 700 square feet. It was enough space for me and parents. Not so much for me, my parents, and a new baby.

My family had enough money for a much bigger house now, but my father disliked change, and since my parents had lived in that house before I was born, it was ingrained in their lives. I didn't mind the small house. I spent most of my time in my room anyway.

However, once my father was nearly sent to the hospital after a major collision with the baby preparations that bombarded the living room, they knew it was time to get someplace bigger. That was the entire summer before I entered seventh grade. My parents visited every house for sale on the east side of town, some houses even multiple times, but my parents found nothing.

Finally it was September, and our real estate agent was at her wit's end. She showed my parents a house on the west side of town. It fit everything on my parents' wish list, and was nearly brand new. They put in an offer that very day. This would be my new home.

My parents' didn't care about the fact I would be starting a new school in October. It was a small price to pay for their dream house, and I had no say in the matter. I was an obedient child. I always listened and followed directions, most often silently. It's safe to say I was not close to my parents.

My parents were much different when I was younger. Before they were accountants, my father was working on getting a record label with his band, and my mom was trying to make it big in fashion. Their attitudes as adults resulted in my very, er, original name: Freed. Needless to say, my parents grew up, and have voiced their regret on my name many, many times.

They will not be making the same mistake with the coming baby. If she is a girl, her name will be Sarah. If he is a boy, his name will be Henry. I almost wish the baby would be given a strange name to go along with mine, but it's not my place to say. I'm not the one having the child, nor will I ever have children. It's too easy to make mistakes and disappoint them, a lesson I've learned well.

When I was younger, I wanted to move in with Bickslow. His mother, Ms. Jessica, is very nice and extremely involved in her children's lives. Whenever I go over there, Ms. Jessica pulls freshly baked cookies out of the oven, and starts inquiring about our day. She even actively helps Bickslow with his homework, something my parents would never do.

When I get home at exactly 3:32 each day, I take off my shoes, set them in the closet, and nod hello to my mother. I then proceed to my room where I complete all of my schoolwork. I always finish at exactly 5:20. I eat dinner with my parents at 5:30. At 6:00, after I have cleaned the dishes, I proceed to either Bickslow or Ever's house. I am back at home by 7:30. I study until 8:20, and then I shower and get ready for bed. I am asleep by 8:45 at the latest.

I was never taught this schedule, but my parents require order and precision, so I comply. I learned how to be independent by age 7, around the time my parents became 'practical'. I have nothing against my parents and my raising, but I always wondered what it would be like to grow up in an environment like Bickslow's. I wonder how raising the new baby will work.

I just hope the baby won't have to grow up as fast as me.

* * *

When I stepped out of our car on October 3rd, a box in my arms, the first thing I noticed was the color. The house was a pure white color, making it look more like a fancy hotel than a new house for four. My mother, on the other hand was beaming.

"Oh look at it, Freed! Isn't it wonderful?" My mother nearly twirled around as she walked up the path to the front door.

My mother was starting to unlock the door when she looked up and scolded me. "Please take that frown off your face young man. And hurry up with the box."

I sighed. I put on my typical straight face. I proceeded to unpack the car, setting the boxes in the entry way as my mother danced around her new house, her face adorned with a huge grin.

A large honk outside informed me of the moving truck that had just pulled up. My father had chosen to ride with the movers in order to keep our furniture safe. Thank goodness we had little belongings. With the movers' help, our house was put together in four hours. Well, mostly. My mother was downstairs, directing the movers on the living room furniture placement for the umpteenth time. But I had managed to sneak away.

The movers finally left around 3 and our house was done. It looked bare, but it was done.

At 3:40, the doorbell rang through the house, and I nearly slid down the stairs. I was grinning ear to ear. "Mother!" I cried. "Bickslow and Ever are here!"

"Don't shout," my mother informed from her spot on the couch. I nodded my head, but I lost my composure the second I flung open the door and was enveloped by my friends' hugs. Ever and Bickslow hopped into the house in a flurry of arms and talking. I couldn't make sense of any of it, but I was too happy to care. Bickslow and Ever never came to my old house. It was too small and my mother didn't care for their hurricane-like demeanor. That didn't matter now,

A loud ahem escaped from her throat. Bickslow and Ever stopped and turned to face her. My mother smiled. "Hello, Bickslow. Hello, Evergreen."

My parents used to be great friends with Bickslow and Ever's parents, but their friendship slowly grinded to a halt after practicality took in.

Bickslow and Ever smiled nervously. "Hello, Mrs. Justine." They quickly nodded to her, and a second later we were all sprinting up to my new room. Bickslow stood in the doorway with awe, but Ever didn't hesitate to claim the rolling chair, already starting to spin.

"This is huge!" Bickslow ran and flopped on my bed. Ever kept on spinning, making me dizzy just looking at her. But I couldn't believe it. For once, we were hanging out in my room. But with that came a price.

Ever finally slowed down and slumped back in the chair. "I can't believe you have to go to West. They're a bunch of losers."

Bickslow sat up. "Yeah, today was so boring without you. I can't believe I have to deal with this until high school."

I joined Bickslow on the bed. "At least we can still hang out after school. I hear West has less homework."

Ever rolled her eyes. "Yeah. But they have more bullies and thugs and stuff. I'd be fine, but face it, Freed, you're horrible at making friends."

"I would be offended if that wasn't so true." Bickslow just laughed.

I was gonna miss these two.

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 **Hope you guys liked it! It was kinda short but I should have 2 up later today.**


	2. Adjusting To West Magnolia Middle

**Yay! I made a goal and I met it!**

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Freed

6:30 am. The harsh beeping noise rang through my ears, causing me to groggily turn off my phone alarm and sit up. I yawned, the room once again peaceful. But as I fully opened my eyes, I noticed something. Where was I?

I flipped off the covers and ran to the big window. I haphazardly moved the blinds, flinching at the bright, incoming light. I looked down. There was my father in his bathrobe and slippers grabbing the newspaper.

That's right. This was my new house.

I yawned again before getting dressed and walking downstairs to the kitchen, passing my father on the way.

My mother was busy making coffee. "Mother," I asked, "where's the pantry?"

She pointed to the white door beside the fridge. I took a piece of bread and placed it in the toaster and pulled out the raspberry jam in the meantime.

"Freed, you should put peanut butter on your toast. It's healthier," my mother advised. I nodded. I put the raspberry jam back and pulled out the peanut butter. I was allergic to peanut butter.

Without looking up from her coffee, my mother started inquiring about the day ahead of me. "Are you ready for your new school, Freed? I'm sure you will be. Just be good to the teachers, okay? And I expect good grades, do you understand? Don't forget to make friends either. It's not good for your health to be lonely. Freed, are you getting all this?"

I nodded, watching my toast.

"Freed, you need to respond when someone asks you questions." My mother stood up, harshly placing her mug on the table.

"Yes, ma'am," I responded, placing my golden toast on a plate. I had put the peanut butter back.

"Oh, Freed," my mother sighed. She then did something I would remember forever. My mother embraced me in a hug. "You're gonna be great, Freed. You're such a strong kid. I'm glad you're my son. I know we're quite harsh on you, but that's because we know we can rely on you."

The sudden hug nearly made me drop the plate, thank goodness I didn't. I set the plate carefully on the counter, and returned the hug. My mother looked surprised, but laughed.

My father emerged into the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to go. "Alright, Freed, time to go. I'll drive you to school since it's your first day."

My mother kissed the top of my head and I took care of my uneaten toast. I grabbed my backpack and my lunch I had made the night before, and we were at the school before I knew it.

I was about to open the car door in the drop off zone when my father stopped me.

"Thanks for doing this for us, Freed. I know how hard switching schools is. Especially on a Thursday in October." He patted my back and I left the car extremely discombobulated. All of this affection was messing with my head. It must be the pregnancy. My mother's due-date was in less than a month after all.

* * *

My morning went extremely well. West was easy to navigate, most of my classes were next to each other, the guidance office was very helpful, and the teachers extremely nice in helping me catch up. Well, the morning went well until fourth period.

Each of the teachers had me start off the class by introducing myself. 'Hello. My name is Freed Justine, and I came right from East. My parents just moved because I have a sibling on the way.' Straight and to the point, the coming baby might even attract people asking questions. I managed to meet some nice students. Not best friends forever material, but they could probably serve as a stand in if I needed it.

However, in fourth period, there was a group of kids who sat in the back. They all had a colored streak in their hair at the same place, albeit different colors, so it was safe to assume they were friends. A couple had been in previous classes with me, but they didn't seem so bad then. H

Together, though, there arrogance levels rose. It was obvious they were your stereotypical school bullies.

Anyway, Mrs. Jensen had me stand and present myself. I had barely finished saying my name when a voice came from the back.

"Freed? What the fuck kinda name is Freed? I wish this bullshit class was FREED from you!" His comment resulted in hoots of laughter from his friends. The peanut gallery was most likely the leader.

Mrs. Jensen just sighed. She had teached for a while. This was nothing new to her. "Kevin, please sit down and be quiet."

"And Justine? That's a girl's name! We have a Justine right here!" Kevin continued. He reached over and tugged on the shirt of the unsuspecting girl next to him. Kevin nearly pulled her to the ground. The girl was not a part of Kevin's group.

"Hey cut it out!" the girl yelled at her attacker.

Kevin smirked. "Ooh, Justine do you like Freed?" His entourage made kissy faces at Justine.

"Ew, of course not!" Justine cried, readjusting herself in her seat. The group laughed.

Mrs. Jensen huffed. "Kevin, stop this right now or I will send you to the principal's office. Do you want to get suspended again?"

Kevin only rolled his eyes. I was unsure of what to make of the situation. I was frozen. A fearful statue being judged by everyone.

Kevin turned back to me and I gulped.

"Yeah, and what the fuck is going on with your hair? Its longer than every girl in the class's, with a severe case of bed head." Kevin mimicked the two lightning bolt shaped hair wisps on the sides of my head with his fingers. I had always had the wisps, and I liked them. Not anymore.

"And for Christ's sake your hair is GREEN. That's the stupidest thing ever. You look like a fucking tree!"

Mrs. Jensen popped. "That's it Kevin!" She typed something quick on her computer. An email to the principal. "Kevin, go to the office NOW!"

Kevin lazily slid out of his seat. He rolled his eyes as he exited the classroom with a smug look on his face. His group booed, but Mrs. Jensen shot them a look and they quieted. They were nothing without their leader.

"Freed, why don't you take a seat? I'm sorry you had to go through that." My red face and I slumped back in our desk. The red faced Mrs. Jensen began teaching. Our faces were red for different reasons.

* * *

The rest of the day went off without another hitch and I slowly fell into the routine of West. Every day after school I quickly sped through my homework (Ever was right. West gave much, much less), and then I met up with Bickslow and Ever. On another note, my parents were becoming much more affectionate, and the due date was even nearer for my little sibling.

I had learned how to deal with Kevin and the bullies. Most of the time they ignored me after Kevin was suspended for 2 days, but it was lunch that was hardest.

NEVER, EVER, EVER BUY LUNCH. I always packed my lunch, because Kevin tormented the lunch line, stealing money, food, and flat out beating kids up. Once you were seated you were pretty much fine, but the lunch line was a dangerous place because the lunch staff weren't given enough money to want to deal with it.

However, some days there was this one kid. I learned from asking around that he was an eighth grader, and a bit of a violent one at that. He had been suspended for two weeks in seventh grade because of a fist fight with some other kids that left a huge lightning shaped scar on his face.

His name was Laxus Dreyar, and he was the bullying avenger. About half of the time Laxus would eat lunch in the lunchroom alone. And anytime he saw Kevin and his gang start off on another innocent person, Laxus would beat up Kevin, return anything he stole, and scare off the rest of them. But the best part was how afterwards, Laxus would brush off the victim before sending him on his way.

The other half of the time, Laxus would walk straight through the lunchroom towards the arts hallway, ignoring anything and everything that Kevin was doing.

It had become a lunch time hobby studying Laxus. I sat alone at lunch, still failing on my plan to find a friend. It didn't really matter to me. I got to use the time to read and watch Laxus. The time wasn't wasted.

I wondered if Laxus had any friends. He sat alone at lunch, so probably not. Could he be my friend? I would love to have Laxus as a friend. But did Laxus even want a friend? I sighed. Friendship was hard.

My Laxus obsession continued to grow and develop. But one of the most memorable moments happened about a week after I started West. I was hanging out with Bickslow and Ever at Ever's house when they started asking me about my social life.

"So, have you made any friends yet, Freed?" Ever was hanging upside down on her bed, her hair falling below her.

"I wish," I replied. I tapped a pencil on Ever's desk. "But everyone's social groups are already made up and no one really interests me." My voice got softer. "Except for this one kid."

"Ooh tell us!" Bickslow enthusiastically smiled.

"Well, there's this one kid who's really cool. He beats up bullies and stuff. But he's kind of a loner." I felt my face heat up. What the heck? I just wanted a friend! Why would I be embarrassed?

Ever smirked. "Ooh, Freed, do you have a _crush_ on this Laxus?"

"W-w-what?!" I stuttered. I nearly fell out of Ever' desk chair. My hair stuck to my crazily sweating forehead. "I don't have a crush on Laxus! And I never will! Because guys don't like guys. That's not how this works, okay? Don't be stupid!"

Bickslow and Ever's eyes met for a second, and next thing I knew they were rolling around, cracking up.

I was so confused. "Guys? What the heck? Can someone tell me what is going on here?"

I may have been confused then, but I most certainly would not be tomorrow.

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 **Very proud of the end of this chapter. Not sure when the next one will be up, but I hope its soon because I really love this story idea.**


	3. Knowledge Is Power

**All of this fanfiction... I am on a roll!**

 **And thanks to my friend Tia for all the grammar and fact help with this chapter.**

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I guess you could blame the happenings of the next day on my mother. Every night I made my own lunch and put it in the fridge so I wouldn't have to worry about it the next day. However, my mother, in addition to my parents' newly expressed affection for me, decided she would make a lunch for me. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about it each night. So I let her. It worked for two days.

But on Friday, my second Friday at West, my mother managed to sleep past her alarm. Meaning the bus was pulling up, I went to grab my lunch from the fridge, and it wasn't there. I had no time to make a lunch, and was forced to go to school lunchless.

Of course, I had money, so I could just go through the lunch line, but then I would be a prime target for Kevin.

Lunch time came, and the health teacher, Miss Jared, had decided to show us videos on nutrition, featuring plenty of delicious foods. I wouldn't be able to skip lunch; I would have to brave the lunch line.

Plenty of kids bought school lunch, and they weren't beat up. I would just have to hide behind them. However, my green hair set me at a bit of a disadvantage.

I managed to survive until the salad bar. But Kevin saw my green hair.

"Hey, Justine!" he called. I stopped, my heart pounding. I shouldn't have turned around. I should have kept on going to the cash register, paid for my macaroni 'n cheese, and sat down. I could've avoided what would happen. But I was stupid. And I turned around.

Kevin was right in my face, the gang behind him. I dropped my tray on the floor. Milk and cheese splattered all over my shoes. Kevin rammed his knee into my stomach, causing me to gag and drop to the floor. The entourage laughed. Kevin pulled me back up and landed a few blows to my face. The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Tears ran down my face. Some of the entourage even joined in the punching.

After a minute or two, Kevin leaned in and whisper-yelled into my ear. "You know what you are? You're gay trash. You will always be gay trash and you need to fucking get your homosexuality out of my face before I throw up."

Time slowed down as Kevin pulled back his fist and directed it right towards my face. I shut my eyes. I heard a large smack, and felt blood running down my face. I feel to the ground and curled up in a small ball. I covered my ears; they were flooded with sounds of exclamation and injury.

A few minutes later, everything was quiet. I flinched as I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. An unknown voice started talking. It was deep, but calming.

"Hey, you okay? Hey, hey," he started to barely shake me. I uncovered my ears and opened my eyes. I sat up with the guide of a rough hand. I looked up at the helper.

It was Laxus.

He must have beaten off Kevin. The bullies were nowhere in sight. Laxus hovered over with a warm wet towel. He handed it to me. "Your face. It's covered in blood."

I nodded slowly and held it up to my face. I brought it down and the towel was already red.

"Can you stand? We need to get you to the nurse." I nodded again, and Laxus helped pull me up. I rested an arm on his shoulder while he put one of his around my side to support me. I limped down the hallway to the nurse.

When Laxus opened the door, the nurse was standing ready with supplies spread out. The lunch ladies must have already called.

Laxus deposited me on the nearest cot, and Mr. Collins went to work with my injuries. Laxus sat in the corner and watched, even as the bell signaling the end of lunch rang.

Eventually, the blood was gone and my injuries bandaged. Laxus was still in the corner.

Mr. Collins checked the clock. "Looks like we're at the start of sixth period. Laxus, if you won't mind making sure Mr. Justine gets to class okay?" Laxus nodded. Mr. Collins turned towards me. "And Mr. Justine, please be careful. I assume you did something small and Kevin overreacted. Even look at him in the wrong way and you'll be bloody pulp. Stay away from that boy and I hopefully won't see you in here again. Now get outta here!"

Laxus stood up silently and walked over to me. He pulled me up so that I was resting on him in the same way we walked to the nurse. I probably could've walked on my own, but I didn't say anything.

We were halfway to my sixth period when I looked up at Laxus and asked him a question. "Hey, Laxus, what does 'gay trash' mean? Kevin kept calling me that like it's a bad thing. What's 'gay'? Am I 'gay'?"

Laxus frowned. "You probably should forget about all that. Kevin's an asshole and you should never listen to him."

"Yeah, but I want to know what it is. You sound like you know what it is. So why not tell me?" I could see my classroom door.

Laxus looked around nervously. "You know, Freed, this probably isn't the best place to discuss this. What are you doing after school today?"

"I'm just going home. But I can text my mother. She'll be fine as long as I can get a way home."

Laxus nodded. "Alright. I'll meet you at your locker right after seventh period. This isn't exactly a two second conversation." We were at the door to my classroom.

Laxus let go of me. We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. Finally Laxus patted me on the shoulder. "Be careful and stay safe."

I nodded and snuck into the classroom, slipping the teacher my nurse's note. I slid into my desk and glanced at the clock. The end of the school day was so far away.

* * *

Once the bell signaled the end of seventh period, I ran at the speed of sound to my locker. However, Laxus went at the speed of light, and he was already there. He had even packed up and everything.

I quickly grabbed my books and stuffed them in my backpack. Laxus was leaning with his eyes closed on the locker next to mine.

I slammed the locker door and Laxus was up, guiding me through the halls. We went through the cafeteria and into the arts hallway. Laxus turned into the 2d art room and through another door in the back. This must be where he goes at lunch when he's not in the cafeteria.

The back door led to a small butterfly garden. Laxus didn't even look down, but I could've spent hours there. Once we made it through, we were at the back of the school. I could see the neighborhood that attached to mine.

Laxus didn't even pause. He walked right across the school grounds towards the neighborhood. I had to jog a little to keep up with him; I was still taking everything in.

Eventually we reached the neighborhood, and we walked right through it into my neighborhood. We were most likely heading towards Laxus's house. The only question was where it was.

Finally, I noticed a familiar fork in the street. If we turned left, it would be a three minute walk to my house. We turned right.

After a minute or two of passing more stereotypical suburban homes, Laxus lead me up the driveway of another stereotypical suburban home. It was about as average as you could get in a house.

Laxus reached the porch before me, so he held open the door and gestured me inside. The inside of the house was stereotypically average as well. I paused, not knowing what to do.

Laxus closed the door behind him and called out, "Mom! I'm home! Freed's here too!"

Laxus pulled off his shoes and set them on a shoe rack by the front door. I followed suit.

When I looked back up, a woman was walking into the entry. She had the same yellow hair as Laxus, and wore a bright smile as well as white suburban mom clothes. She shaked my hand enthusiastically.

"Hello, Freed. I'm Laxus's mom, you can call me Ms. Heather. It's so exciting that Laxus has brought a friend home today! He's such a loner, and I worry about him sometimes. When he texted me about bringing you here earlier, I was ecstatic. Have you taken care of everything with your mom?"

"Yes, ma'am. I texted her on the way here. She's fine with it," I nodded politely.

"Good, good. I'll go get some cookies. I've been working on my cooking because the Mom's Club bake sale is coming up and I will not be outdone by _Judy_ again." Ms. Heather said Judy with such disgust it made me wonder what kind of neighbors Laxus actually had.

Laxus followed his mom into the kitchen, so I proceeded forth as well.

The cookies were absolutely amazing. They were still hot and the chocolate melted all over my mouth. It was like tasting heaven.

"So? Do you boys like the cookies?" Ms. Heather's face was lit brightly.

"They awe gweat mwom," Laxus replied, his mouth stuffed to the brim with cookies.

"Laxus," his mom scolded. "Don't eat so many cookies at once. And don't talk with your mouth full. At least use a napkin. _Carol_ 's boy Jimmy is so polite he could be the president's personal butler. Where did I go wrong?" she joked, throwing her hands up in agony.

Laxus finished swallowing and haphazardly wiped off his face. "C'mon Freed, let's go. We've got lot to get through"

I followed Laxus upstairs to his room. I stood in the doorway awkwardly, unaware of where to sit. Laxus made it easy by stealing the desk chair, so I sat on the edge of his bed.

Laxus got up really quick to close the door. As he sat back down, he started talking. "My mom isn't homophobic or anything, but it's still kinda awkward for her to hear about this kinda stuff since I only came out to her a month or two ago."

I'll admit, I was extremely confused. Half the words coming out of his mouth were a different language to me.

Laxus sensed this. "Alright, down to business. Let's start off basically. You know how guys are supposed to like girls and girls are supposed to like guys? That's pretty much bullshit."

"What?"

"Not all girls like guys and not all guys like girls. Sometimes girls like girls and guys like guys."

"What? I never learned about this."

"That's because this town is quite homophobic and most parents are too scared to let their kids know about this because they think it will make their child gay automatically. Not how that works."

"Okay."

"So when girls like girls and guys like guys, that's known as being homosexual. Its when you are sexually attracted to people of the same gender. Otherwise known as being gay. But it can also be broken down where girls liking girls are called lesbians, and guys liking guys are just gay. Are you following me?"

"Yeah. So basically, Kevin was saying I like guys. But why did he say it like it was so horrible?"

"That's because, as I have previously mentioned, this town is homophobic, which means they have a fear of gay people."

"That makes no sense."

"You have pretty much summed up politics in four words. However, gay can also be used as an umbrella term."

"Umbrella term? There's more?"

"Hell, yeah. There's an infinite number of sexualities, which is just who you're attracted to. Like your parents are heterosexual, or straight. Gay stands as an umbrella term for the lgbt-and-like-fifty-million-more-letters-because-there-are-an-infinite-number-of-genders-and-sexualities-so-of-course-they-had-to-make-it-an-acronym community. Like you have your gays, straights, bisexuals, pansexuals, asexuals, polysexuals, demisexuals, and a ton more. There aren't specific choices for sexuality. It's pretty open-ended. And that's just sexuality. There's romance as well. That's who you're romantically attracted to, but not necessarily sexually. And then there's gender."

"Gender? There are just boys and girls, so why is this with the whole gay thing?"

"Ah, what you're thinking of his biological sex. And even then, a person can be born as intersex, with both male and female characteristics. Gender is what you identify as. Like I am a cisgender boy. This means I was born male, and identify as a guy. Transgender, for example, is being born female, and identifying as a guy, or vice versa. And that's not all. Some people are agender: they have no gender. Some are genderfluid, meaning they can switch. And like sexuality, gender is another open-ended question. Which is why you should never assume someone's pronouns."

"Pronouns?"

"Yeah, like I use he/him. Some people use she/her. Others use they/them. Some people don't really care and will go by any. And there are people who don't like using one pronoun, but are fine with any others. Its honestly up to the person."

"This is really confusing."

"Yeah, I know. It's a lot of information."

"But earlier you mentioned 'coming out'. What does that mean?"

"Coming out is where a person not cisgender heteroromantic heterosexual tells people that they are not, in fact, a cisgender heteroromantic heterosexual. It's kind of sad that people have to 'come out' because they don't fit in society's box. People just automatically assume others fit in the box."

"So, Laxus, what about you?"

"Me? I'm a bisexual, meaning I like both guys and girls."

"Well, how will I know if I don't fit in society's box?"

"That's something you'll just have to figure out for yourself."

My phone started ringing. It was my mother. Laxus gestured for me to go ahead and answer it, so I wasn't going to be rude.

"Hello, Mother."

"Hey, Freed, sweetie. I'm glad you're having fun and making friends, but its 5: 23. Dinner will be ready in seven minutes."

"Okay, I got it. Bye, Mother. See you in a minute." I ended the phone call and turned back to Laxus. "Sorry, but I have to go. Anyway, thank you so much for that." Laxus was daydreaming off in the distance, but he nodded.

I went downstairs and said goodbye to Ms. Heather. She was on the phone, most likely with one of her neighbors.

"Oh really, _Sharon_? Then I guess this will be your first bumper sticker. Laxus has been on the high honor roll since first grade."

I let myself out.

* * *

I managed to slide into my seat at the dinner table a mere seconds before my parents. For the whole meal they asked questions on Laxus, and I answered to the best of my ability. But there were other things on my mind.

As I started the dishes, I looked to my mother who was still clearing off the table. "Mother, can I have Ever and Bickslow over after I finish my chores?"

My mother pondered for a moment before replying, "I guess so."

After my chores, I quickly texted Bickslow and Ever to come to my house ASAP. I told my mother to just let them come up to my room when they arrived; I said I was working on a project. She suspiciously agreed.

I completed the last of my research, and everything was set in position. I heard my friends' footsteps as they climbed the stairs and my heart started beating like a drum. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, I thought. But it was too late now. They were already in my room, wondering where I was.

So I took a deep breath and opened the closet door a little. "Hey, guys, I have something to tell you."

Bickslow nearly fell off the bed. "Freed, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

I took another deep breath and swung open the entire closet door.

"I'm gay."

* * *

 **This fanfic gives me life.**

 **This chapter was kinda long, but it just flowed better this way.**


	4. Out Of The Closet

**Hey, sorry about the updating lull. I've been super busy.**

* * *

"I'm gay."

The room was silent for a moment. Ever and Bickslow shot each other a look. They started cracking up, and this time, Bickslow really did fall off the bed.

My mouth dropped, which was what should have happened to them. "What the heck, guys?"

I stepped fully out of the closet and shut the door. "This isn't a laughing matter."

My friends calmed down.

Bickslow stifled a last chuckle. "Freed, we've known. For a long time."

"What?" I gaped. "How could you have known? I just figured it out today and it isn't even your sexuality!"

Ever adjusted her glasses. "Face it, Freed. It was obvious."

"No, it isn't!" I defended.

"Okay, when have you ever mentioned liking a girl?" Bickslow pointed out.

"Well, what about Ever? She's a girl."

"That's platonic. Being gay isn't about platonic," Ever shot back.

"And what about all of those double dates I tried to get you to go on in seventh grade?" Bickslow pointed out.

"Marissa wasn't my type!"

"What about Sandy, Julia, Rebecca, and Allison?"

"It was seventh grade! That's not real dating! I had much bigger concerns!"

Ever sighed. "Freed, we've known you were gay for a while now. Get over it. But the closet was a nice touch."

I crossed my arms and pouted. "You guys ruined everything."

"Yeah, yeah," Bickslow dismissed. "But anyway, how did you finally learn about all this sexuality stuff today?"

"Just this one kid," I babbled.

Ever gasped. "It was that Laxus kid today wasn't it! You googled 'Is it okay for guys to like guys' and this is what you found out!"

"No," I dismissed. "These kids were calling me gay today and they hit me, so Laxus saw and took me to the nurse and then I asked him to explain what gay was so, um, he, uh, took me to his, er, house and, um, explained, uh, everything." I nervously laughed.

"Ah! I ship it!" Ever squealed.

I scowled. "So nobody's gonna ask about getting beaten up with all my bleeding wounds and bruises? You guys are worse than my parents."

"Is he gay too?" Bickslow asked.

"He's bi."

"You should ask him out!" Bickslow realized.

"Guys that's not the point here!" I huffed. This was getting really frustrating. I did _not_ like Laxus like that.

"I bet you even met his mom and everything!" Ever was screeching enthusiastically.

I exploded. "Okay, this is not what was supposed to happen! You guys can go!"

My friends stopped. They blinked.

Ever rolled her eyes and left without a single word. Bickslow patted my shoulder on the way out.

"Dude, chill."

* * *

Uggghhhh! How dare they act like that! It was Monday already, and I still hung over my friends' reaction on Friday night. We were back to best friends by Saturday morning, but my rage was continuing.

However, I did remember my lunch, so that was a good sign.

I walked into the lunchroom that day with a choice. I could sit at my usual table, alone, or I could sit with Laxus.

I decided to take a deep breath, and I went over to Laxus.

"Hey, um, do you mind if I sit with you?"

Laxus didn't even look up from his mac n' cheese. "Not at all."

But I had barely even sat down when a girl walked over to me.

"Hey, Freed, right?"

I nodded.

"I'm Leah. You should come sit us." Leah gestured to a table half-across the lunch room that was about as diverse in social standings as you could possible get. I had always sort of wondered about that table.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Leah laughed. "Oh yeah, I just learned the other day that you were gay, so you should come sit with us at table number two. We're all gay or transgender. It's a support group." They all packed their lunch.

I paused. "How did you learn about me being gay?"

Leah explained. "It was this girl Evergreen. She posted about it on Instagram on Saturday. 'Glad to see my friend Freed freedjustine has finally come out about his sexuality #support #gay #coming out'. Is she your friend?"

I was going to kill Ever. One, my sexuality and coming out about it is **not** her business, and two, she has pretty much everyone from both middle schools following her somehow. I had given up on Instagram, so of course I wasn't even going to see it. It's not like I could just call her and scream at her to take it down. SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO SPREAD THIS.

I managed to keep my composure. "Um, that's really nice and all, but I'm good here with Laxus."

Leah blinked. "Oh, okay." She looked down at Laxus. " _Laxus_ ," she spit with disgust.

" _Leah,"_ he replied, the tone even worse.

Leah flounced back to her table, while I started eating my lunch. I was going to violently murder Ever. I was going to stab her repeatedly and then push her in front of a train. Afterwards, I would raise her from the dead, and kill her 500 more times.

"So wait, Freed, you're _gay_?" Laxus was staring at me with astonishment.

"Yeah," I nodded, confused.

"I thought you were straight!" Laxus exclaimed.

"Well, I actually figured it out on Friday."

"I thought that was all 'no homo' or something."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But what's with you and Leah? And I thought this town was really homophobic."

Laxus squirmed a little in his seat. "Okay, I lied," he said so straightforwardly. "This town isn't actually that homophobic in the relative sense, we have like a pride every year or something, but my personal experiences have been really bad. Mainly because most people in this town do not accept bisexuality as a real thing. I even get rejected from the gay table, see exhibit Leah, but you can also contribute that to the fact I tried to seduce her in the seventh grade by making her a t-shirt that said 'I love Laxus', and it forced her to come out with the fact she was a lesbian.

"Anyway, this town really only accepts homosexuality. Bisexuality apparently doesn't exist, along with asexuality and pansexuality. But I get pansexuality. Nobody understands pansexuality. Even pansexuals. Are they magical unicorns sent from above to have sex with everyone? Who knows?"

I nodded. More information.

"Yeah. So anyway, if you want to have a popular social life, I don't suggest hanging out with me."

I nervously scratched my head. "Well, Laxus, it's not like I need a really big group of friends. You were the person I wanted to be friends with when I first got here anyway. Seeing you beat off Kevin was really cool."

Laxus eyed me. "Are you flirting with me?"

My face went red. "I, um-"

The bell rang. I, fearing what would come out of my mouth next, threw all my leftover food in my lunch bag and practically sprinted out of the lunchroom.

* * *

 **Yes, this is short. But it was a good stopping point and I'm already working on chp 5.**


	5. Answering Phone Calls

"Alright, Evergreen, get out here now!"

Mrs. Charlotte, Evergreen's mother, just stared as I barged into their house the second I got out of school.

"Excuse me, Freed, sweetie, are you okay?"

Mrs. Charlotte looked at me like a madman because I never did stuff like this. I was the most behaved child she knew.

I turned to her with my usual face, not my enraged one from a second ago. "Mrs. Charlotte, when will Ever be home? I have some urgent business to attend to with her."

"She'll be home in just a minute." She continued to eye me with concern. "In fact, that's her bus right now."

The door slammed open, and Ever marched right in. "Hey, Mom, I'm h-" Ever saw me with my mad face and crossed arms, and she knew something was up. She knew exactly what it was too.

"Um, h-hey, Freed, um, w-wh-what are you, um, doing… here?"

I tapped my foot.

"Can we, um, talk about this, um, upstairs?"

I burst. "EVER WHY WOULD YOU POST THAT ONLINE?"

Ever stopped. "I just thought you would want more people to know, okay? Try to get you out there."

"Yeah, but it's not your business okay? People have becoming up to me all day to talk about it. And you aren't my match maker! I can figure this out on my own!"

"At this rate you were going to sit in the closet until you died! I was trying to help you! Get you to accept yourself more! Gee, I don't know, get you more FRIENDS!"

"I have friends!"

"Yeah, me and Bickslow. We'll always be best friends, but maybe we'll have other ones too!"

"I have Laxus!"

"I asked around about Laxus. He isn't exactly friend material!"

"Well, neither are you!"

Bickslow burst through the door. "Hey guys, gue-" Bickslow paused at the sight of the argument.

"Ever, I told you not to post that."

* * *

I was very thankful that Mrs. Charlotte was a kindergarten teacher. Her social problem-solving skills were so good, she had Bickslow, Ever, and I back to normal and drinking hot cocoa around the kitchen table in under ten minutes.

Of course, Ever had promised to never post anything about other people without their permission again, I promised to not fly off the handle, and Bickslow promised to never just sit back and just watch stuff happen again. And obviously, Mrs. Charlotte had known I was gay a long time ago.

So, life was good again. Then my phone rang.

Call from: Laxus Dreyar

I nearly dropped my phone in my cocoa.

"What?" Bickslow asked. I held up the ringing phone.

"How the heck did Laxus get my phone number?" I won't lie. I was freaking out.

"Who's Laxus?" Mrs. Charlotte asked from the laundry room.

"Just Freed's boyfriend," Ever called back.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I declared for the 848350247th time.

"Then why did you start blushing when he called you?" Ever smirked.

"Because I am concerned for the safety of my cell phone number please and thank you."

Bickslow rolled his eyes. "Just answer the phone."

"Um, how do I even know it's him and not some prank call?"

"Freed, nobody calls you," Ever reassured.

"Answer the phone."

"Pick it up now."

"Answer the phone, Freed."

Mrs. Charlotte walked out of the laundry room. "Freed, if you do not answer that phone I will ground you."

I gulped. Time seemed to slow down.

I pressed the answer button.

"Hey, um, Freed, no time to talk dude. Do you happen to know someone who can pick me up? Not in a very good situation right now. Can't call my mom or grandpa. At the picnic grounds at Green Park. Thanks. Bye."

He hung up. I set the phone down. Everyone stared at me with anxious faces. "Mrs. Charlotte, can you grab your keys? I think Laxus is in trouble."

* * *

The car was deathly silent as we pulled up to Green Park. In a mere stroke of luck, Ever let me ride shot gun, while Bickslow, Ever, and Ever's little sister Olivia who managed to get home just as we were heading out to the car rode in the back.

Once we were parked, Mrs. Charlotte and I tried to convince everyone to stay in the car. They had none of it.

We sprinted through the woods with Olivia on Bickslow's shoulders. I skidded to a stop once we reached the picnic table clearing. Laxus was sitting on a bench with his head resting deathly still on the table. He looked dead.

"Laxus!" I yelled, running over to him. I started shaking his shoulder. "Laxus, wake up! Are you okay?"

Laxus sat up groggily. I stepped back, right into a pool of sick. There were huge bruises on his face.

Mrs. Charlotte waved to Ever. "Go get the first aid kit from the car."

"Bu-"

"Now."

"Laxus, what happened?" I asked. "How in the world did you get like this?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story. I was walking in the woods, which I do after school a lot, when I ran into these seniors who were not in the correct state of mind and, well, I was some middle schooler who happened to barge in on them," Laxus explained.

"Its 4:30!" I exclaimed. "How the heck were they like that at 4:30?"

"I dunno. High school is strange and unknown territory." Laxus shrugged. "But also those kids were known for being in jail, and they probably knew my dad, so I just sorta did not luck out."

"Why couldn't you call your mother or grandfather?"

Laxus shifted uncomfortably. "You see, they don't really like how I walk around town on my own. They think I'm gonna get hurt. So I may have sort of kind of possibly told them I was hanging out with you. You know, 'cause you're the only friend I've ever had who my mom trusts and actually doesn't suck."

My eyes widened. "How does your mom trust me? She's met me once!"

"You've seen her; she's weird. She's currently in war with all the moms on our street."

By now, Ever was back with the medical supplies.

"Excuse me, Laxus? I'm Mrs. Charlotte, Evergreen's mom. I'm a kindergarten teacher. Can I take care of your wounds?" Mrs. Charlotte approached Laxus carefully, like he was a hurt wild animal.

"Sure," Laxus shrugged. Mrs. Charlotte got to work. "But who's Evergreen?"

"Freed!" Ever exclaimed, hitting my arm. "You didn't tell him about us?"

I blushed and shrugged.

"Hello, Laxus! I'm Evergreen, and that guy over there is Bickslow. We're Freed's friends from East. We've been friends since we were little, so we're his only friends. I mean, he has acquaintances and stuff, but we're his only actual friends. We're very thankful for you. Freed was starting to clog up our social schedules, and we have lives outside of him, you know? Oh, and that's my sister Olivia. The law didn't let us keep her at home." Ever smirked.

"Okay," Laxus nodded.

"Done," Mrs. Charlotte declared. "Remember Laxus, the only thing that can really heal you is time, so be careful, and don't get into any more fights, okay?"

Laxus nodded, but groaned as he stood up.

We walked back to the car in silence. I was walking next to Laxus, and my hand kept doing this weird tingling thing. I ignored it.

Ever managed to claim shotgun for herself, so I was stuck in the back, squished between Laxus and Bickslow, with Olivia on my lap.

It was silent yet again in the car. After a minute though, Olivia was really starting to weigh on my thighs. Laxus sensed this.

"Hey Freed, I'll take her from you." I didn't have time to object. Laxus reached over and picked up Olivia like she was nothing, and deposited her on his lap. His legs were huge compared to mine.

Thankfully, Olivia broke the silence.

"So you're Freed's friend?"

"Yep."

"That's weird."

"Why is that weird?"

"Freed doesn't have friends. He's a loner."

"He has friends. Ever and Bickslow. Everyone has friends."

"Freed's only friends with them because our parents used to be friends."

"But they're friends now, aren't they?"

"I guess so. How old are you?"

"I'm 14."

"I'm 8. I like being 8."

"I liked being 8 too. It was simpler then."

"You liar. Being 8 is hard."

"It gets harder as life goes on."

"That's not fair."

"Life's not fair."

"'A fair is a place with rides and cotton candy'. That's what my teacher says."

"Mrs. Brooked?"

"I had her too."

"When you were 8?"

"Yep."

Mrs. Charlotte butted in. "Excuse me, Laxus? Which way is your house from Freed's?"

"Turn here. It's the third street on the left. Now turn this way. It's the third house on the right."

"Thank you, dear."

"Thank you very much for helping me. You don't understand how much I appreciate your help."

"Why, you're very welcome, Laxus. Any time.

Olivia got up briefly to allow Laxus to move out of the car. He was stepping inside his house when he performed a little wave, which signaled Mrs. Charlotte to move the car again.

Mrs. Charlotte dropped me off next, and I ran up to my room. I had a little time before dinner to do some thinking.

I collapsed on the bed. Maybe Ever was right. Maybe, I was, in fact, starting to have a thing for Laxus Dreyar.

* * *

 ***Crazy fangirl squealing***

 **I have my 6th grade teacher Ms. Bain to thank for the 'A fair is a place with rides and cotton candy line'.**


	6. An Invitation

Laxus aside, I also had quite the thing for routines. You've probably noticed by now. Everything in my life had to form to a time and a place so I knew what I was doing at every moment of my life. It was my way of being in control.

So there was no surprise when I fell into a new routine at lunch by Thursday.

At 11:45 every morning, I would rush into the lunchroom, class having ended at 11:40. Laxus would already be at our table, a good portion into his food. He always bought. I would slide in across from him, and as I unpacked my lunch bag, Leah would wave over to me. I would shake my head 'no' and start eating. Leah would frown.

Laxus and I would eat and talk about normal everyday things until Kevin started making problems. Laxus would beat up Kevin, make sure the victim was okay, and then come back to our table where conversation picked right back up. At 12:15, when the bell rang, I would hurry out of the cafeteria to get to class. I never looked back to see what happened to Laxus.

I barely ever saw Laxus outside of lunch, but occasionally he'd text. Although, it was usually very generic. 'When does the half-off carwashes end at Greg's Car Clean?' or 'Do you know Spanish? My Mom's taking an online course and is having trouble on this one translation,' for example.

On Friday, things went a little different. I hurried into the café, only to find Laxus huddled up in a ball on the bench, wearing an oversized black hoodie. The hood covered his face completely.

I sat down. "What's with the hoodie?"

Laxus only grumbled something unintelligent.

"Excuse me?" I asked, leaning forward. "Is it your bruises from Monday?" My wounds from Kevin healed perfectly. Laxus's had not.

Laxus removed the hood, scowling. "It's not that. You know how my mom is in a war with the other moms on my street? Well, Susan sewed her daughter Rebecca an entire wardrobe over the weekend. Naturally, my mom had to try too."

Laxus unzipped the hoodie and pulled it off. He was wearing the most hideous attempt at a t-shirt I had ever seen. One sleeve was big enough to house a baby elephant, the other squeezed his bicep so tight it was about to pop. In addition, there was a random third sleeve protruding from the middle of the chest. The neck line zigzagged catastrophically across his protruding collarbone and ended in his armpit. The main t-shirt though looked like scraps of fabric sewn together at random points, and the bottom wasn't even hemmed. I didn't know what to say.

Laxus said it for me.

"I know. It looks like she was purposefully trying to mess it up. But to be honest, she had my grandpa help her, so that obviously was going to make it worse. Thank god Mr. Collins had this hoodie."

"Then why did you wear it in the first place?" My hands shot to my mouth. "I am so so so sorry. That was extremely rude and uncalled for. Please forgive me."

Laxus laughed. "Nah, I understand. I had that same opinion too. But my mom has done a lot for me so the least I can do is wear a t-shirt for a day."

There was some awkward silence.

"So, anyway, on that same topic, my mom's also having a cookout this Saturday at Green Park. I'm gonna be surrounded by a bunch of goody-two-shoes for four hours. It's at 4 at the picnic tables."

I nodded. "Sure. But I'll have to ask my mother."

* * *

My mother said no. we were sitting around the kitchen table eating dinner when she delivered the disastrous news. My mother barely fit in her chair.

"Sorry, Freed. I have an ultra-sound that day at 4 as well."

I couldn't believe it! First time Laxus invites me to something and I can't go because of that stupid baby.

I nodded.

My father looked up. "Oh, and you have a haircut."

A HAIRCUT? I couldn't have a haircut! This was worse than the cookout! I loved my hair! I had been growing it out for years! My hair was my favorite thing!

I nodded.

"And thank goodness too. You were starting to look like a girl! Short hair will look much nicer."

I frowned. Since when were guys not allowed to have long hair?

My father frowned back. "Freed, stop complaining. You need a haircut and that's final. But actually, your haircut is at 2, so I suppose you could go to the cookout if you got a ride. It's too unsafe to walk, but I expect Evergreen and Bickslow will be going as well? You could see if one of them could take you."

I had forgotten about Bickslow and Ever. I should probably ask Laxus if I could invite them.

I nodded.

After we finished dinner, I cleaned up and headed to my room. I pulled out my phone and dialed Laxus.

"Hello? This is Freed?"

"Hey, Freed. What's up?"

"Hey. I was just wondering if I could bring Ever and Bickslow along to the cookout."

"Um, I guess." He sounded slightly disappointed, but that could have just been my hopes.

"Alright. Thank you."

"See you tomorrow, Freed."

"Bye."

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of the blender downstairs. I checked the time. 7:08.

I threw my pillow over my ears in an attempt to block out the sound. No such luck.

I got dressed quickly, but took my time brushing my hair. It would be the last.

Once I got downstairs, the blender was still running. Our blender was an old clunky piece of junk. My father, however, insisted that it worked perfectly fine. You could hear it in Antarctica.

"GOOD MORNING, FREED! READY FOR A BIG DAY?" my mother yelled over the noise.

I nodded, not wanting to destroy my voice.

"I'M MAKING HEALTHY FRUIT SMOOTHIES! I'M DUE IN LESS THEN 2 WEEKS! DO YOU WANT ONE?" my mother continued.

I shook my head no.

My father finally stopped the blender, both smoothies being finished. I took some bread and cleaned the blender out while the toaster went to work.

I hung out with Ever and Bickslow at Bickslow's house until my father pulled up at 1:45. I didn't tell them about my haircut. Some of my fondest memories are of them trying to make up weird hairstyles and in the end tying my hair into one huge knot that took hours to untangle.

As we drove to the barbershop, it was bright and sunny outside. Quite the irony.

We got out of the car and checked in. We sat down. My father read a magazine. I cried inside.

"Freed Justine?"

It was murder time.

I sat in the chair wrapped in plastics as my father explained what he wanted for me.

"So basically, you just need to chop most of it off."

"Gladly," the barber replied, a man named Telly.

Time slowed as Telly wet down my long green hair and pulled out his scissors. I clinched my eyes for the sound, that snip.

It didn't come.

My father was leaning with one hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Freed, you okay?"

I took a deep breath. "Father, I don't want to cut my hair. I love my hair. I don't understand why I have to cut it."

My father frowned. "Freed, long hair looks unprofessional."

"But Father, when have I ever not taken good care of it? It always looks neat. I wash it and brush it."

"Freed, I can only see one of your eyes."

I was really pushing the limits here. "It's my hair!"

Telly looked unsure. "I'm not really sure what's going on here, but why don't you guys come back later once everything's been figured out?"

My father sighed. "Alright, Freed. Let's go. I'll talk to your mother."

I beamed as we walked out of the barbershop.

My father looked over at me. "You really do love your hair, don't you?"

Back at Bickslow's, I explained what had transpired. They were both still shocked that there was the chance I could have lost my hair in the first place.

As for me, I was glad I was going to have it for another day.

* * *

 **I was going to have Freed's hair actually cut, but then I remembered how I needed Laxus to braid it later, so that plan was scrapped.**

 **I finally got to express my hatred for blenders today!**


	7. The Cookout

**Alright guys- I'm back *cracks knuckles* let's do this thing**

* * *

As Ms. Jessica drove to Green Park, my heart started beating faster, and faster, and faster, and by the time we reached the park my chest was about to explode. You really couldn't blame me.

Ms. Jessica dropped the 3 of us off with a quick goodbye, and sped off to her doctor's appointment.

The second I walked into the clearing with Bickslow and Ever, my mind went from 0-60. That new pop song was blaring on the radio and there were multiple grills. People were everywhere. Teenagers were lounging on the picnic tables talking while suburban moms chatted with drinks in their hands. Most of the dads wore aprons as they discussed the magnificent yet overwhelming smells of grease and meat.

I only managed to make one sound. "Woah."

I'd gone to cookouts before, yes, but not this big and crazy. Bickslow and Ever however looked right at home.

Thankfully, Ms. Heather saved me. "Freed!" she cried, running over to me. "Welcome to my cookout! I'm so glad you could make it! I know there are lots of people here. It's practically half the neighborhood." She noticed the fruit tray I was holding. "Oh, here, I'll take that! Thanks for bringing something. Lots of people!"

My brain was slowly falling back into place. "Ah, yes. Ms. Heather, these are my friends, Ever and Bickslow. I hope it's okay I brought them."

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Laxus's mother turned to my friends. "Freed, sweetie, Lax-"

"Mr. Dreyar! What are you doing here?" Ever gasped. I turned her direction. It _was_ Mr. Dreyar, the principal at East.

"Miss Evergreen, Heather here is my daughter-in-law. And Laxus is my grandson."

I couldn't believe it! They had the same last name! How was I not able to connect the dots? What was happening to me?

"Hello, Mr. Freed, keeping an eye on my grandson? I hope he's doing okay. He still won't transfer to East. Good thing to know I got you to watch him for me!" I blushed. He managed to pat me on the back despite our height differences.

Bickslow and Ever managed to engage themselves in a conversation with my previous principal, so Ms. Heather directed me towards Laxus.

He was hiding in the back of the clearing by the trees with a couple kids.

"Hey Laxus!"

Laxus nodded and gestured me over. "Hey guys. This is Freed."

I joined their circle.

"Freed, this is Jackson."

"Hey."

"That's Jade."

"Sup."

"And that's her twin sister Maddie."

A nod.

Jackson was busy chugging Pepsi from a two-liter and Jade was scrolling on her phone and twisting her hair. Maddie's hair was jaggedly cut and hot pink.

Laxus looked comfortable leaning on a tree in a t-shirt made in China this time.

I was still staring at Maddie's hair. She noticed and laughed. "Definitely not something you see every day, is it?"

I nodded.

She laughed again. "Don't worry, the pink's not natural. And I cut my own hair because I hate all the products and stuff they use at salons. But what's going on with your hair? It's green."

"Oh. Mine's all-natural. I was born with green hair. And it's always done the little lightning bolt thing."

"Aww, its adorable," Amber giggled. I blushed and snuck a side glance at Laxus. He was staring off into space.

"I've always wanted long hair but my mom is completely against it. I gotta be her perfect boy." Jackson waved his two-liter.

"Actually, I almost got a haircut today. I managed to talk my parents out of it though."

Laxus looked surprised for once. "Whoa. I can't imagine you with short hair."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

There was a slight lull in the conversation, so I turned to Jade. "What are you doing on your phone?"

Jade looked up, annoyed. "Tumblr." She was wearing a My Chemical Romance t-shirt, her black hair covered her eyes, and piercings lined her one visible ear. I probably could've guessed.

I nodded. I had a Tumblr, but I barely ever used it. It was mostly an aesthetic blog with two followers.

Jackson chugged some more Pepsi. "You're always on Tumblr, but you never reblog any of my original text posts!"

Jade rolled her eyes. "That's because it's all just shitposting!"

"And memes. You can't forget the memes."

"What are memes?" I asked Jackson.

Laxus sighed and facepalmed. "Oh my god, what have you done, Freed?"

Jackson smiled with an evil glint in his eye. But before he could start explaining, a woman was standing next to me with a firm grip on my shoulder. I looked up in surprise, but it was just another one of the suburban mothers.

"Jackson, honey, what ae you doing over here with the, um, _delightful_ , Tenstine girls, and, um, Mr., um, Dreyar? And put that disgusting liquid sugar down."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Calm down mom. Its not like we're over here doing drugs."

"Hey, Maddie, got any weed?"

"Not the time, Jade. Not the time."

Jackson's mother grabbed her son's arm and pulled him close. "Here Jackson, why don't you come with me back to the picnic tables? Jason Smithell was telling me a wonderful story about his volunteering in Africa. You could do to be like Jason Smithell."

Finally his mother turned back to me, still with her death grip on my shoulder. "And Freed, Heather was telling us about you. Why don't you come with me as well and I'll introduce you to some, other, kids?"

Laxus stepped forward and placed his own hand in a death grip on my other shoulder. It fit perfectly within his rough fingers and sent sharp bolts of energy down my side. "Well, Mrs. Sharon, Freed isn't much of a socializer and he's kind of socially awkward, so I think I'll just keep him by my side for now, if that's okay with you? Don't want to lose him."

Ms. Sharon hmphed and marched off, dragging her son with her. Laxus still had his hand on my shoulder, but then he awkwardly pulled it off and wiped it on his shirt.

"No homo," Jade whispered under her breath. I went red. Laxus turned to her and genuinely confused asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing!" Jade suppressed her laughter.

Laxus went back to leaning on the tree.

One of the dads yelled out, "BURGERS ARE READY!" so the four of us walked over, grabbed our overcooked hamburgers and other assorted stereotypical cookout foods. I was about to sit at one of the picnic tables when Laxus gestured towards me. "Let's go eat in the woods."

Jade lead the four of us through the woods for a couple of minutes before plopping down in front of a tree. We sat in a little square. We just sorta ate in a silence punctuated by Jade's random Tumblr breathing laughs.

It was getting awkward so I turned to the right to Laxus. "So is your father at the cookout today?"

Without looking up Laxus replied, "My dad's in prison."

"OOOOOOOOOOHHH," Jade laughed from my left. Laxus ignored her. Jade leaned in to my ear and whispered, "Things are heating up in the Fraxus fandom. Yeah that's your guys's ship name. Fraxus. I ship it." She leaned back and started laughing hysterically. I was so confused.

Laxus looked at Jade, sighing. "Can you just fucking speak up for once?"

Jade fell on her back in giggles. "Somebody has no chill!"

Maddie groaned. "Jade stop being such a bitch."

Jade frowned dramatically like a little child. She looked at me, and then at Laxus. She smirked.

"Freed can I have your strawberries?" she asked innocently.

"Jade, if you wanted strawberries you should've just gotten them earlier."

"Guess I'll have to get them the hard way!"

Jade pounced on my plate. I'm extremely light and I went stumbling onto Laxus, the surprise knocking him over.

I was lying on top of him, my back on his stomach. My force had pushed his shirt up and you could see his abs. One of my hands was in the middle of his chest, the other on his bent thigh. I rocketed off of him, my heart beating as fast as light years and my face red. Laxus stood up and bent down into Jade's face. "THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?"

Jade looked only scared for a moment before breaking back into laughter. Laxus stormed off. I got up as well, contemplating whether to follow him or not. Maddie was nowhere to be seen.

What the heck did I have to lose? I ran after him, Jade still in hysterics.

As I ran, she called after me. "Go get your boyfriend, Freedipoo!" She continued to laugh and I shook her off. How could Maddie stand to be around her? No wonder she ditched us.

I finally caught up to Laxus.

"What do you want?" Laxus cried, his body seemingly growing in size. I was a terrified ant, and he was a horrifying beast.

"Laxus," I whispered.

Laxus threw up his arms. "You know what, I don't even fucking care anymore. Get away from me."

"Laxus, I,"

"Get your fucking face away from me. I don't even want to look at you right now," he snarled. "Get away from me, Freed." He spat my name.

I turned around and started sprinting back to the clearing. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, but I ignored them.

I spotted Ever and Bickslow chatting away. I ran over to them, throwing my arms around Ever's middle and burying my face in her back. I always did this when I was younger, back when I was small and fragile and the Kid Most BulliedTM. Ever and Bickslow would always protect me. Even now, Ever knew exactly what it meant.

"Freed, what's wrong?" she whispered.

"I just wanna go home," I choked. She and Bickslow exchanged worried glances.

"Call my mom," she ordered. Ever and Bickslow quickly thanked and said goodbye to Ms. Heather, and we were gone. I no longer clung to Ever, but I kept my eyes covered with my hands.

We sat on a bench by the parking lot waiting for Ms. Charlotte. I finally broke down bawling. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. I was pathetic.

Bickslow and Ever didn't say anything, only comforted me. By the time, Ms. Charlotte had arrived, the tears had slowed, but my eyes were still red and puffy. We got in the car, Bickslow in front, Ever, Olivia, and me in the back.

Olivia stared at me for most of the ride, while I leaned on the window.

"Freed, are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look okay."

"Yeah.

"Well, Freed if you ever aren't okay, you should talk to me. My teacher says I'm very good with feelings."

"Yeah."

"I love you Freed. Not in the mommy and daddy way, that's gross, but the brother and sister way. You're my brother now, okay?"

"I love you too, Olivia."

* * *

 **Don't do drugs kids.**


	8. Thunder and Lightning

**I need to sleep: but here it is! Chapter 8!**

* * *

Laxus didn't text or call all weekend. Not that I wanted him to, but it would've been nice to know he was okay. I walked into school on Monday, bracing myself for the worse, but he was gone. There was a small hole in my chest.

I hung out with Bickslow and Ever after school, but my dreariness killed the mood. Even my oblivious mother sensed it.

I went to school the next day, but he still was gone. The hole only grew.

Wednesday and Thursday held no Laxus either. On Friday, I texted my mom saying I would be home late, and I walked over to La xus's house. He may hate me, but I missed him. He was my best friend here at West.

I was able to make the trip from memory thankfully, but I contemplated ringing the doorbell for a solid 5 minutes, pacing on the front porch, before Ms. Heather saw me and opened the door.

She was smiling hugely and there were little tears in her eyes. "Oh Freed Freed Freed Freed Freed thank goodness." She pulled me inside and into a big hug. Eternity passed before she let me go.

"I'm so thankful you came," she whispered.

"Is Laxus okay?" I was even more worried now.

"Oh yes, sorry." Ms. Heather sat down on the couch, taking my hands in hers and pulling me down. "You see, I love Laxus dearly, and I do everything possible to make sure he's as happy as possible. But it's not easy, with his dad in jail. I don't know if he's told you, but Laxus was always Daddy's little man. They were so close, and it absolutely ruined Laxus when his father got a little too carried away with the alcohol one night and did some things he regrets dearly. This was 4 years ago. He had a sentence for 5. My father-in-law came to live with us, but Laxus changed. He lost friends, his grades plummeted, he's been suspended so many times, he was even held back a year. I worry so much about him. He has trouble expressing his emotions and they just build up like a wave inside him. And then he explodes. I'm sorry about what happened at the cookout. With his father gone, Laxus is constantly trying to do the best for me, and I'm trying to do the best for him, and we're a mess Freed! A big huge emotional mess.

"And then you came along. For once, Laxus wasn't just staring at a wall, and then quickly turning on the TV and pretending to do his homework when I start walking in. He's been genuinely happy these past few weeks. Heck, he's been talking to me about his life! He never used to, he was worried I would worry about him. But now, he talks about you constantly. And he's only known you, what? A well or 2? Freed did this, Freed did that. He's so interested in life again. He may act like an indifferent 8th grade loner, but I can see emotion now. Thank you so much Freed.

"Now would you please go up there and talk to him? He's just been lying in bed for almost a week, not talking, not eating, not sleeping. Please Freed?"

I nodded. I was still trying to process everything; it made no sense. But I could also sense the urgency in Ms. Heather's voice. I climbed the stairs, each step feeling like a millennia. Another year passed and I was at his closed door, knocking.

"Hey, uh, Laxus? Its Freed."

Nothing.

"Can I, um, come in?"

Nothing.

"Okay Laxus I'm coming in, don't say I didn't warn you." I softly opened the door and crept in.

Laxus was lying in his bed on his back, staring at the ceiling. His hands were resting on his chest and he was wearing the same clothes from Saturday. Untouched plates of cold food lay on the ground. The window blinds: shut.

I sat on the edge of the end of his bed, my resting hand near his feet. I had the urge to tickle them, but now was not the right time.

"Hey."

Silence.

"Hey, Laxus, you gotta talk to me. Are you okay?"

Nothing.

I sighed. We sat/lay in silence for a good ten minutes.

Finally, Laxus spoke up.

"Sorry about Saturday."

"It's okay."

"No it's not."

More silence.

"You should go back to school on Monday."

"Why?"

"Everyone misses you."

"No they don't."

"Absences can really affect your school career."

"I don't give a shit about school."

"You're just lying here. You won't even eat."

"I'm rethinking life. I'm calming myself."

"You've been doing it for an awfully long time."

"How do you know what I need?"

Another stretch.

"Fine. I, I miss you."

He didn't respond. Could he hear my heart beating so loudly in my chest? I could.

I looked at the clock. I had been here a good hour. My mother was probably getting worried. Or not. The baby was due so soon.

I got up. Laxus remained fixated on the ceiling. I walked to the door, opened it, and exited. As I closed it, I stuck my face back in. "Just consider coming back on Monday, okay?"

I closed the door behind me and trudged down the stairs. Ms. Heather enveloped me in a hug.

"I tried."

"I know you did, and that's all that matters."

* * *

I walked into school on Monday, expecting the worse. My words had had no difference. Laxus would be at home, still lying in bed, not on the bench by the cafeteria where he sat pre-first period every morning.

Thank god I was wrong.

Laxus was there, real and in the flesh, looking at something on his phone. He still wore the same dirty clothes, but he was here, and that's all that mattered. I wanted to scream his name, and run over and hug him so hard he exploded. But I was cool, and did not do that. Plus, Laxus probably still hated me.

I stared out the window for most of first period. The wind was going crazy, with small bursts of rain. The autumn leaves looked so beautiful spinning around like maniacs. I just hoped for no thunder. Anything but thunder and lightning.

The second period classroom had no windows, so I wasn't able to watch the weather progress. But according to one kid, the wind was blowing so hard, it had picked up a teacher's car and threw it into the side of the school. Jeez, kids would believe anything these days.

Third period, and we were on tornado watch. No thunder and lightning yet. I'd always been so scared of thunder and lightning. Just a small bit of it would have me in hysterics like a newborn. Just another thing for kids to tease me about.

Fourth period, the teacher needed someone to drop off some papers at the office. He was wary of sending anyone, because everyone knew a tornado warning was coming, but I offered. Anything to get me out of class, just in case. I was a good kid, so he let me go, but he told me to hurry fast just in case.

I had barely left the class when the first bought of thunder hit. I dropped most of the papers, my breathing ragged. I was on my hands and knees, trying to collect them. Rain bounced onto the roof, echoing through the empty halls.

I got back up, a death grip on the papers. The thunder and lightning continued, faster and faster, louder and louder. I was stumbling across the tiled floor, barely breathing, tears running down my face like the rain outside. Finally, panic overwhelmed me and I collapsed onto the floor and curled into a tiny ball.

But Laxus was my knight in shining armor. Well, more like a knight in an old leather jacket and tricked out headphones. Laxus walked right out of his free period class room, a bathroom pass in hand, and right into me.

"Freed, what the…"

The PA system crackled.

"WE HAVE MOVED TO TORNADO WARNING, I REPEAT, WE HAVE MOVED TO TORNADO WARNING. PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR SAFE DESTINATIONS, A TORNADO HAS BEEN SPOTTED. I REPEAT, A TORNADO HAS BEEN SPOTTED. THANK YOU."

"Crap, crap, crap. Freed, buddy, what's going on?"

He knelt down beside me, using his hands to try to unfurl me. He failed.

The stars were not aligned that day. And yet they were perfectly aligned.

At that moment, Mr. Collins happened to be speed walking down the hallway on his way from the cafeteria to his office as protocol.

He stopped right in front of us. "What are you two idiots doing here? You're gonna get yourselves killed!"

Laxus looked up at the male school nurse with desperation. "Sir, please help. Freed is stuck like this and won't move. He's just crying and whimpering and he's breathings weird."

"Mr. Dreyar, Mr. Justine is just deathly afraid of thunder and lightning," he said calmly. "Here, you two come with me. I have an extra closet certified as safe in my office and Mr. Justine will feel much safer there. Can you carry him? Come along."

Laxus picked me up like I was a feather and carried my bridal style all the way to the nurse's office.

Once we entered, Mr. Collins swiftly shut the door behind us and locked it. Dr. Jamesin, the school nurse for girls, gasped in surprise.

Mr. Collins simply replied, "Change of plans." He unlocked the empty closet and Laxus set me down inside before sitting down himself.

Mr. Collins looked down on us and remarked dryly, "I trust you know the correct way to sit and protect your heads if the building happens to crash in on us. Beware. It's dark." He shut the door.

We sat in the dark. The lightning and thunder were softer now, and I managed to pull myself together. I suddenly realized I was practically sitting on Laxus's lap, and I jumped off. Laxus smiled softly, but I couldn't see.

"Sorry." I wiped tears from my face.

"It's okay."

We sat in the dark, not talking.

"Hey, uh, Freed, did you mean what you said, you know, about, um, missing me?"

"Yeah. Why would I have said it if it wasn't true?"

"I dunno."

Darkness.

"Hey, uh, Freed?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you mean when you, uh, said you missed me?"

"You're my best friend here Laxus. School wasn't the same without you."

"Are, are you saying, you, appreciate me?"

"Yeah, kinda, why?"

"Nobody's ever really been that close to me. And I mean we've only known each other for a couple of weeks."

"Hey Laxus?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just forget about everything that happened with the cookout and move on?"

"I'm still so sorry for that Freed. And yes, I'd like that."

We sat in darkness for a while longer. There was still faint thunder and lightning (thank goodness for most of the sound being blocked), but for some reason, I felt safe with Laxus.

A loud crash sent me back into hysterics. I screamed louder than a human should ever be able to scream.

Laxus noticed immediately, and quickly pulled me over. He wrapped his arms around me, silencing me. My breathing slowed, and my heart rate did too. He held me carefully in the nook of his side, my head resting on his shoulder. His hand patted my upper arm, and he whispered words of safety and comfort into my ear.

"It's okay, Freed. You're okay. You're perfectly safe."

I whimpered into his shoulder. "The monsters, they're gonna get me."

Laxus only held me. "It's okay Freed. The monsters won't get you. I've got you Freed."

* * *

 ***Dies***


	9. A Weekend of Board Games and Spray Paint

**I wanted to fit a lot more into this chapter, but time and natural stopping places initiated a smaller chapter. Next one I have some big plans.**

* * *

Laxus and I proceeded to forget about everything that had happened that cookout and its repercussions were purposefully ignored, while the Friday in the nurse's office during the storm was not. It was awkward, and I despise awkward.

I spent my entire Saturday at Laxus's house. With the baby due on November 2nd, my parents were scrambling to finish the last of the baby's room, as well as clean up the hundreds of baby toys that lay strewn about our house. Recently they had realized that the crib they used for me had been recalled, so they decided to go to a special baby supply store 2 hours away. Only the best for their first second child.

With my mother's new sense of mothering came the sense of over-protection. It was no longer okay for me to stay home alone, especially since she was going to be 2 hours away. I called up Bickslow and Ever, but both of them were surprisingly busy.

My mother, however, managed to get Laxus's number from my phone, and then Ms. Heather's number from him.

"You need more friends! And I've been meaning to meet the parents of Laxsus," she said in the kitchen Friday night, as I blushed redder than the tomatoes she was cutting. The storm outside had ceased.

Ms. Heather was thrilled, and when I arrived at her house the next morning at 9 am, she talked my mother's ear off. My mother was of the same temperament and my father had to drag her away 20 minutes later so they could get to the store.

Laxus stood leaning on the stair banister with a blank expression for the whole endeavor. He was still in his pajamas, an old t-shirt and shorts, and when I walked in as Ms. Heather shut the door behind me, I took notice of his legs. Wow, I thought. He has really strong legs. I cringed a little at my unconscious thought.

Laxus yawned and started walking back upstairs. "I'm gonna change, be down in a bit."

I walked into the kitchen. Ms. Heather was staring thoughtfully at the open fridge. "I'm gonna make some breakfast, but I'm not sure what yet. Any requests?"

"I could make something," I offered.

"Oh no Freed, you're the guest here."

"It's no trouble. I enjoy cooking."

"If you insist." She swept her arm to the side and gestured towards the fridge. I got up and inspected the shelves. She had lots of variety and different ingredients.

"I could make some crepes."

Ms. Heather melted. "I haven't had crepes in so long."

When Laxus finally came back down, the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas. Ms. Heather was deeply interested in my tutorial and hung onto every word. Laxus smiled faintly, which resulted in me grinning widely.

After sinking our teeth into the filled thin pancakes, we cleaned up and Laxus commented, "Wow, Freed, you're an amazing cook."

His mother butted right in, "I know! Freed you have to teach me more!" She took in our expressions and smirked. "I'll leave you two to be. I've got some things to catch up on for work." I mentally reminded myself to find a polite way to ask her occupation.

Laxus taught me how to play Monopoly, and I beat him by a landslide. He proceeded to throw little plastic houses at me, so I threw back. After a minute of laughing and flying houses, one hit me right on the nose.

"Ooh sorry bro you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine dude."

"Bro."

"Broski."

"Abroham Lincoln."

"Alfbro Einstein."

"Laxus Broyar."

"Freed Justbro."

I tried to teach Laxus to play Scrabble, but he fell asleep within five minutes. The rest of the day we spent watching TV, playing video games (which he slayed me at), and talking, but of nothing of real importance to me.

For lunch I made grilled sandwiches and dinner was pasta.

When my parents finally got back after 7, I was wiped. But it had been an amazing day.

"Hey, Freed! How'd it go?" My father asked, giving me an awkward side hug.

"He was amazing. Taught me to cook some dishes and kept this rascal busy." Ms. Heather ruffled Laxus's hair. He didn't fix it.

"Good, good," my mom nodded. "Well Laxus, you're always welcome at our house if you want. But beware, there is a baby coming real soon." She laughed, her stomach bigger than a beach ball.

She turned to my father. "In fact, we don't have anything going on tomorrow. I just need someone to paint those stools. Laxus, would you like to come over tomorrow? I can enlist Freed and you in some house work if you get bored."

"I'd love to," Laxus affirmed.

"Great! Same time, Freed can text you the address. And Freed, don't forget to say thank you."

"Thank you for having me over."

"Thank you for coming."

"See you tomorrow Freed."

"Bye, Laxus."

* * *

The second Ms. Heather drove away the next morning, my mother assaulted us with white spray paint and junk t-shirts. There was no argument, only directions to the garage covered in newspaper with old stools.

"Sorry about the spray paint."

"Nah its fine. Just, uh, how do you spray paint?"

I looked at Laxus in disbelief. No way couldn't he spray paint. But the little changes in Laxus's facial movement never lied as it held his can awkwardly in one hand.

I nervously took his large hand and adjusted the fingers across the nozzle with my little tiny hands. He pressed down hard like I directed him, but paint just dripped out onto his hand.

"Huh." I took the can from him and tried moving the nozzle in various ways. All I accomplished was sticky paint covered hands. Finally, while I had tipped the can upside down, my thumb knocked the half-broken nozzle off. Paint poured down my front and on to my legs.

Laxus started laughing. Actually full out laughing.

I just looked at him. "You think this is funny?"

"Yes."

I hmphed. I grabbed the other can of white spray paint and sprayed it on Laxus, coating his shirt and arms in a thin layer.

"Oh it's on, Freed."

Laxus and I stormed the workbench for more paint. When my mother came out 20 minutes later, the garage was a mess, the stools were a rainbow, and Laxus and I were covered from head to toe in sticky paint.

She took a deep breath, and I could feel my grave already being dug.

"I'm sorry ma'am."

Huh?

Laxus was looking right at my mother and took all the blame on himself. "It was all my fault. I'm so so sorry. Please don't blame Freed. I will clean up everything and pay for damages."

My mother softened. "Oh no its okay Laxus don't worry. You guys were just having fun and I can see it just got a little out of hand. The garage did need a little color. Besides your both complete messes. It'll take hours of scrubbing to get all of that off. Freed, direct Laxus to the guest bathroom and then you shower as well. And don't either of you get out until you can actually see your skin."

She ushered us inside and closed the door behind us. Later she would bring the rainbow stools in and set them at the kitchen counter. She never repainted them.

* * *

Its kinda filler. But the big stuff is coming just wait.


End file.
